March 8, 2012Energy Vampires

Written By: Mark Fontaine

You know who they are. They surround you. People who drain all the positive energy out of you. They have an insatiable hunger for negativity. They leave drained, exhausted, and unhappy people in their wake. They can make our lives miserable if we don’t have strategies to deal with them.

How can you spot these people?

They are intrusive.

They don’t respect personal boundaries.

They are overly critical of everyone and everything.

They are chronic whiners and complainers.

They are argumentative.

They are demanding.

They have a sense of entitlement.

They are unable to accept personal responsibility.

Don’t allow their problems to become yours. Here are 3 strategies to slay Energy Vampires.

1. Identify them early. Their quirkiness may intrigue you. Their gossip, hard luck stories and dramatics may entertain you. Pay close attention to your instincts and your physical reactions after your encounters. Are you experiencing muscle tension, loss of energy, headaches, irritability, sadness, or negativity?

2. Limit your contact. Now that you’ve identified them, limit the amount of time you allow them. Set firm limits. You should start off conversations with, “I only have a few minutes before I have to [fill in the blank].” Once the time has expired, disengage.

3. Don’t get pulled in. You may be tempted to fix their problems. You won’t. Negative people will resist your help or create new crises in their lives. Resist offering solutions. You may choose to say, ” I’m confident that you’ll be able to find the solution on your own”. Excuse yourself and walk away. Be firm in a gentle and empathic way.

Positive energy is a precious commodity. It’s not something you should willingly give up. You can choose to keep a positive attitude by surrounding yourself with positive people who leave you feeling upbeat and energized.